In or relating to seals

ABSTRACT

A storage compartment comprises a container defining an access aperture closable by a closure that can be sealed to the container around the aperture and that can be opened by relative movement between the container and the closure in a lateral direction with respect to the aperture, the container having a first sealing loop around the aperture and the closure having a second sealing loop co-operable by alignment with the first sealing loop to maintain a seal when the closure closes the aperture. The sealing loops are moved into and out of mutual alignment by said relative movement between the container and the closure and at least one of the sealing loops includes magnetic means for attracting the other of the sealing loops to maintain a seal when the sealing loops are mutually aligned.

This invention relates to storage and in preferred embodiments relatesto the art of cold storage, including appliances such as refrigeratorsand freezers for storing foodstuffs and other perishables. Otherapplications of the invention include storage of chemicals and medicalor biological specimens. The invention also finds use in mobileapplications, for example in the transport and storage of perishablegoods. More generally, the invention finds use in any form of storageinvolving the use of drawers, but particularly where the drawers need tobe sealed when closed.

The invention finds particular benefit in the context of the Applicant'smulti-compartment cold storage appliances of the general type disclosedin its co-pending patent applications WO 01/020237, WO 02/073104, WO02/073105 and WO 02/073107, the contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference, and develops and adds to certain features of thosespecifications while omitting or varying other features. As in thosespecifications, the invention can be applied to storing any itemswhether within a cooled environment or otherwise. The term ‘appliance’is therefore to be construed broadly, extending beyond fixed domesticdevices into industrial, scientific and mobile applications. However,this specification will particularly describe domestic or commercialcold-storage appliances for storing foodstuffs.

The compartments of the appliances disclosed in WO 01/020237, WO02/073104, WO 02/073105 and WO 02/073107 are drawers sealed from oneanother to minimise cross-contamination, waste of energy and icing.Optionally, there is provision to select different temperatures indifferent compartments to suit different foodstuffs or other contents,and to suit different cold-storage regimes such as refrigerationmarginally above zero Celsius and freezing significantly below zeroCelsius. Indeed, it is possible for a given compartment to be convertedreadily from refrigerator to freezer and back again, thereby to vary theproportion of refrigerator space to freezer space in the appliance as awhole. In this way, the appliance can respond to changing cold-storageneeds.

Briefly to recap the introduction of WO 01/020237, the advantages ofstoring foodstuffs and other perishable items in refrigerated andsegregated conditions have long been known: refrigeration retards thedegradation of such items and segregation helps to prevent theircross-contamination. Accordingly, modern cold-storage appliances such asrefrigerators and freezers are usually compartmentalised, albeit notoften effectively, so that a user can store different types of food indifferent compartments. All such appliances have the additional aim ofmaximising their energy efficiency.

The invention herein and the inventions in the Applicant's earlierpatent applications WO 01/020237, WO 02/073104, WO 02/073105 and WO02/073107 mentioned above were devised against a background of typicalcold-storage appliances, most of which comprise one or more uprightcabinets each with a vertically-sealed hinged door on its front.Substantially all of the interior of the cabinet defines a storagevolume, most commonly partitioned by shelves or drawers for supportingstored foodstuffs. Access to all of the shelves or drawers in thecabinet is gained by opening the door.

A cooler unit generates a convection loop within the cabinet, in whichair cooled by the cooler unit sinks toward the bottom of the cabinet andas that air absorbs heat during its downward journey, it warms and risesback up to the cooler unit where it is cooled again. It is also possibleto have forced-air circulation by means of a fan within or communicatingwith the cabinet. The shelves or drawers are typically made of wire sothat they offer little resistance to this circulation of air.

WO 01/020237, WO 02/073104, WO 02/073105 and WO 02/073107 address amajor problem with upright refrigerators and freezers, namely theupright door which, when opened, allows cold air to flow freely out ofthe cabinet to be replaced by warm ambient air flowing in at the top.That rush of ambient air into the cabinet causes its internaltemperature to rise, hence consuming more energy in redressing that riseby running the cooler unit. The incoming ambient air introduces thepossibility of airborne contamination, and moisture in that air alsogives rise to condensation and ice within the cabinet. The more oftenand frequently the cabinet is opened, as may happen especially incommercial cold storage appliances, the worse these problems get.

In upright-door arrangements, the limitations of the vertical seal meanthat loss of cold air and induction of warm air can even occur when thedoor is closed. Being denser than warmer air, the coldest air collectsat the bottom of the cabinet and applies pressure to the sealinginterface so that unless the seal forms a perfect seal between the doorand the cabinet, that air will escape.

The appliances disclosed in WO 01/020237, WO 02/073104, WO 02/073105 andWO 02/073107 also address the problems inherent in the well-known chestfreezer, whose open-topped cabinet is typically closed by ahorizontally-hinged upwardly-opening lid. Such a chest freezer isinconvenient and wasteful of space because it precludes use of the spaceimmediately above the freezer, which space must be preserved to allowits lid to be opened. Even if a sliding lid is used instead of anupwardly-opening lid, items cannot be left conveniently on top of thelid. It is also well known that large chest freezers can make access totheir contents extremely difficult, it being necessary to stoop down andshift numerous heavy and painfully cold items to get to items at thebottom of the freezer compartment

Finally, the appliances disclosed in WO 01/020237, WO 02/073104, WO02/073105 and WO 02/073107 address the problem of segregating differenttypes of foodstuff or other perishable items to avoidcross-contamination. In typical cold-storage appliances, segregation offood is compromised by the convection and/or forced-air principles onwhich those appliances rely. The substantially open baskets or shelvesdesigned to promote convective circulation of air between thecompartments also promote the circulation of moisture, enzymes andharmful bacteria In addition, any liquid that may spill or leak, such asjuices running from uncooked meats, will not be contained by the openbaskets or shelves.

Conventional cold-storage appliances exemplified by uprightrefrigerators and chest freezers are not the only prior art disclosuresof interest. For example, it has been known for many years to divide arefrigerator into compartments, each with its own dedicated closure suchas a door or lid. Examples of this idea are disclosed in UK Patent Nos.GB 602,590, GB 581,121 and GB 579,071, all to Earle, that describecabinet-like refrigerators.

In those Earle documents, the front of the cabinet is provided with aplurality of rectangular openings for receiving drawers. Each drawer hasa front panel larger than its respective opening so that a vertical sealis formed around the overlap when the drawer is in a closed position.The drawers and their contents are cooled by a cooler unit thatcirculates cooled air by convection within the cabinet, in common withthe types of refrigerator already described. To promote circulation ofthis air amongst all of the drawers, the drawers are open-topped andhave apertures in their bottoms. Also, the drawers are disposed in astepped arrangement, those at the top of the refrigerator extending backless far into the cabinet than the lower drawers so that the rear ofeach drawer is exposed to the downward flow of cooled air from thecooler unit.

Although only one drawer need be opened at a time, the apertures in thebottom allow cold air to flow freely from the open drawer, which isreplaced by warm moist ambient air to the detriment of energy efficiencyand with the increased possibility of cross-contamination. Indeed, whena drawer is opened, cold air within the cabinet above the level of thatdrawer will flood out, drawing ambient air into the cabinet.Furthermore, the drawers encourage ambient air to flow into the interiorof the refrigerator because, upon opening, they act as pistons drawingthe ambient air into the interior of the refrigerator cabinet. Once inthe cabinet, the warm air can circulate as freely as the cold air thatis supposed to be there.

Even when closed, the accumulation of cold air towards the bottom of thecabinet will exert increased pressure on the vertical seals of thelowest drawers, increasing the likelihood of leakage if the seal isfaulty.

A further example of the above type of refrigerator is disclosed in UKPatent No. GB 602,329, also to Earle. The refrigerator disclosed thereinsuffers many of the above problems but is of greater interest in that asingle drawer consisting of insulated sides and base is provided withinthe cooled interior of the cabinet. In contrast to the variants outlinedabove, the sides and base are solid and not perforated so that aircannot flow through them. When the drawer is closed, a horizontal memberwithin the cabinet combines with the drawer to define a compartment, thehorizontal member thus being a closure in the form of a lid for thedrawer. This compartment is provided with its own cooling coils situatedjust below the horizontal member.

Very little detail is given about the seal that is formed between thedrawer and the horizontal member, other than that the horizontal memberhas a downwardly projecting rear end with a biased edge that makes aclose fit with the rear wall of the drawer. Nothing else is said aboutthe junction between the drawer and the horizontal member, apart fromthe general statement that the drawer is adapted when in its closedposition to fit ‘fairly snugly’ against the horizontal member. It canonly be inferred that the drawer and the horizontal member merely abutagainst each other. Whilst this will impede the passage of air into andout of the drawer, it will not form an impervious seal. As this is not avapour seal, icing and cross-contamination is likely to occur even whenthe drawer is closed.

The drawer arrangement described creates a compartment in which adifferent temperature can be set when compared to the essentially commontemperature of the rest of the refrigerator. It is particularlyenvisaged that the drawer can act as a freezer compartment. TheApplicant has appreciated a disadvantage in this arrangement, namelythat as the freezer drawer resides within the cooled interior whenclosed, the outer surfaces of the drawer within the cabinet will becooled to the temperature of the refrigerator. Accordingly, when thedrawer is opened, those cooled outer surfaces will be exposed to ambientair containing moisture that will condense on the cooled surfacesleading to an undesirable accumulation of moisture. Condensationinvolves transfer of latent heat from water vapour to the drawer, thusincreasing the burden of cooling the drawer again when the drawer isreturned to the closed position within the cabinet.

Additionally, condensed moisture will be transferred to the interior ofthe refrigerator when the drawer is closed. As discussed above, thepresence of water promotes microbial activity. A further disadvantage ofintroducing water into the interior of the refrigerator is that it mayfreeze: this can be a particular problem where the drawer of theenclosed compartment meets the insulated top, as any ice formation willform a seal that locks the drawer in a permanently closed position. Thisdisadvantage was appreciated by Earle, as a cam mechanism is mentionedin GB 602,329 to break any ice formed at the seals or on the runners orother support surfaces of the drawers. It is also possible for abuild-up of ice to affect the sealing ability of the seal, by preventingmating sealing surfaces from mating correctly. Of course, theaccumulation of ice on moving parts of the drawer mechanism is alsoundesirable as it will impede movement of the drawer.

A further interesting prior art document, cited as technologicalbackground against WO 01/020237, is U.S. Pat. No. 1,337,696 to Ewen.Ewen speaks of segregation between refrigerated drawers contained in asurrounding cabinet and employs refrigerating units placed ‘immediatelyand closely above each drawer . . . so that said drawer may in effect besaid to be closed against said refrigerating unit’. However, there hasto be a gap left between the drawer and the refrigerating unit if thedrawer is going to open. As in Earle, that gap will promote icing asmoist air within the cabinet migrates into the drawer and the watervapour condenses and freezes. The smaller the gap, the sooner theaccumulating ice will prevent drawer movement. If a larger gap is triedinstead, there will be a greater spillage of air and hence therefrigerator will be less energy-efficient and more susceptible tocross-contamination.

That aside, the spillage of cold air in Ewen lowers the temperaturewithin the cabinet around the drawers, and so increases the likelihoodof condensation on the drawers when opened. It will be noted that coldair spilled in this way can fall freely behind the drawers within thecabinet and so expose the exterior of the drawers to air substantiallybelow ambient temperature. Certain design details of Ewen worsen thiseffect. For example, the bottom wall of the Ewen unit is an efficientinsulator which will significantly reduce the surface temperature of thedrawers. Also, the internal divisions between the drawers do not allowfor ambient heat transfer to the drawers but only for heat transferbetween the drawers, thus promoting drawer-to-drawer temperatureequalisation over time. Left for long periods, or even overnight, largeparts of the external surface of each drawer will fall to temperaturessignificantly below ambient dew point Condensation or ice will thereforeform on those surfaces as soon as the drawers are opened; similarly, ifthe drawers are removed and left outside the appliance, they will startto ‘sweat’ with condensation.

Like Earle, opening and closing a drawer within a sealed cabinet in Ewenacts like a piston, alternately applying both negative and positivepressures to adjacent areas. This promotes air transfer through thedrawer opening at the front of the cabinet, which can displace coldtreated air in a drawer, and within the cabinet itself. An over-sizedcabinet would reduce the piston effect but would also be wasteful ofspace. Conversely, a more space-efficient close-fitting cabinet maydecrease the displacement of cold treated air, and so reduce the burdenof cooling the warmer air that takes its place, but it will increaseresistance to opening and closing the drawer.

Cold air spillage aside, the gap inevitably left between a drawer andits associated lid in prior art arrangements is large enough to allowthe passage of enzymes, spores and other airborne contaminants. Also,Ewen discloses a common interconnecting drain and this too would allowfree transfer of contaminants between each drawer, particularly underthe aforementioned piston action.

Whilst Ewen speaks of different temperatures in different drawers, theplurality of cooling lids are connected in series and have no means forindividual temperature control in each drawer. The differenttemperatures are designed-in by providing some drawers with more coolingelements than others, but there is no measurement or control of thosetemperatures in use. Also, like the compartments of more conventionalprior art, each drawer in Ewen has a fixed function, namely freezer orrefrigerator.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that effective sealing is aprerequisite of efficient cold storage whether in appliances having avertical seal, exemplified by upright-door refrigerators or freezers, orin appliances having a horizontal seal, exemplified by refrigerators orfreezers such as a chest freezer.

Traditionally in the refrigeration art, sealing has been achieved bymagnetic seals in which, typically, magnetic strips associated withseals around the periphery of an access aperture attract resilient sealparts into mutual sealing contact when the door, lid or other closure ofthe cold-storage compartment is closed. The seals can be thought of asco-operable sealing loops extending around the aperture and in acorresponding shape and position on the closure, so that the loops cometogether and align when the closure is closed. Commonly, one sealingloop is a resiliently flexible seal and the other sealing loop is aninflexible sealing surface against which the resiliently flexible sealseats when the door, lid or other closure is closed. However, it ispossible for both sealing loops or indeed neither of them to beresiliently flexible seals. It is also possible for both sealing loopsto have associated magnetic means or for just one of the sealing loopsto have a magnetic means and for the other to include material capableof attraction to a magnet, such as a steel strip extending around theloop.

It is well known that existing magnetic seals are designed to be pushedtogether and pulled apart, which characteristic is not appropriate forsealing to a lid around the upper periphery of a drawer. It will beapparent that in the case of a drawer, the opening and closing movementof the drawer will involve relative sliding or wiping movement betweenat least part of the sealing loops. This is because the lid and theupper periphery of the drawer remain in their original planes, albeitsubject to relative translation within those planes, as opposed toexperiencing angular movement out of their planes which occurs when atraditional lid or door is hinged open. Typical resilient magnetic sealswould be expected to deform and wear unacceptably if used in suchcircumstances, and to present excessive frictional resistance tomovement of the drawer.

The Applicant's initial thoughts were that resilient magnetic sealswould be inappropriate for use with drawer-type appliances of thegeneral type disclosed in WO 01/020237, WO 02/073104, WO 02/073105 andWO 02/073107, and in the Earle and Ewen prior art mentioned above.Indeed, the Applicant's objective was to avoid or minimise relativesliding or wiping movement between seal parts whether magnetic orotherwise. Thus, WO 01/020237 and WO 02/073104 propose alternative sealarrangements involving a minor (typically vertical) component ofmovement of a drawer to separate the drawer from a fixed lid, hencepulling the sealing loops apart, and a major (typically horizontal)component of movement of the drawer to open the drawer fully for accessto its contents. When the drawer is being closed, the major component ofmovement is followed by the minor component to press the sealing loopsback together. This two-component movement avoids or minimises relativesliding or wiping movement between parts of the sealing loops.

Whilst the idea of two-component movement of a drawer has proved to behighly effective, the Applicant has continued to explore alternatives.This effort has been particularly focused upon the appliances disclosedin the Applicant's earlier patent applications WO 01/020237, WO02/073104, WO 02/073105 and WO 02/073107, in which much of the exteriorof the drawers and hence the outside of the drawer/lid interface may beexposed to air at or above ambient temperature. As a result, theApplicant has found that sliding magnetic seals can work successfully ina drawer-type environment and especially in the environments disclosedin the Applicant's abovementioned earlier patent applications.

Thus, in a broad sense, the invention contemplates a storage compartmentcomprising a container defining an access aperture closable by a closurethat can be sealed to the container around the aperture and that can beopened by relative movement between the container and the closure in alateral direction with respect to the aperture, the container having afirst sealing loop around the aperture and the closure having a secondsealing loop co-operable by alignment with the first sealing loop tomaintain a seal when the closure closes the aperture, wherein thesealing loops are moved into and out of mutual alignment by saidrelative movement between the container and the closure and wherein atleast one of the sealing loops includes magnetic means for attractingthe other of the sealing loops to maintain a seal when the sealing loopsare mutually aligned.

The reference to relative movement in a lateral direction with respectto the aperture is intended to encompass sideways relative movement withthe effect of translation of the closure across the aperture from oneside of the aperture to another.

In the embodiment to be described, the relative movement between thecontainer and the closure causes sliding contact between the sealingloops. To this end, the sealing loops are preferably substantiallyplanar although a minor portion of a sealing loop may be out of theplane of the remainder of the loop, such as being chamfered forclearance. The sealing loops can move in substantially parallel planesand indeed may be substantially coplanar.

In preferred embodiments, the sealing loops comprise sections transverseto the direction of movement and sections aligned with the direction ofmovement. Those sections may be substantially straight, as is the casewhere the sealing loops are generally rectangular and define front andrear sections and two side sections connected successively by corners.

The sealing loops are preferably continuous and both sealing loops mayinclude magnetic means, or one of the sealing loops may include magneticmeans and the other of the sealing loops may include material that canbe attracted to the magnetic means.

It is preferred that at least one of the sealing loops comprises aresiliently flexible seal. In that case, the seal is suitably anelongate member defining generally parallel ridges separated by a webwherein the ridges maintain clearance between the web and a cooperatingsealing surface in use. More preferably, a magnetic or magneticallyattractive strip extends along the web to press the ridges into sealingcontact with the cooperating sealing surface in use.

Where a resiliently flexible seal includes means for magnetic attractionto the other sealing loop, the seal may be arranged to bias those meansaway from the other sealing loop. The bias may then be overcome in useby increasing magnetic attraction to effect a seal: for example,alignment of the sealing loops may increase magnetic attraction toovercome the bias and effect a seal in use.

Anti-magnetic flux means may be associated with the magnetic means of asealing loop.

A trace heater may be associated with at least one of the sealing loopsto reduce condensation and icing. Where at least one of the sealingloops comprises a resiliently flexible seal, the trace heater may applyheat directly to that seal. For example, the trace heater may be withinthe seal. The heating effect may be localised: advantageously, the traceheater applies heat to an outboard side of the seal.

For ease of maintenance and repair where at least one of the sealingloops comprises a resiliently flexible seal, the seal is preferablymounted to a removable relatively rigid frame that can be fixed to thecontainer or to the closure.

An insulating barrier is advantageously provided inboard of at least oneof the sealing loops. That barrier is suitably configured to maintainsubstantially all of the associated sealing loop above zero Celsius whenthe container is used for frozen storage. This avoids icing of thesealing loop.

Where the sealing loops are rectangular, it is preferred that thecontainer or the closure are substantially rectangular but have roundedbulbous corners so that the sealing loops can be situated in an outboardposition with respect to the container or the closure. This maximisesexposure of the sealing loops to ambient air flow, reducing the risk ofcondensation and icing.

The invention also encompasses a resiliently flexible elongate sealdefining generally parallel ridges separated by a web, wherein amagnetic or magnetically attractive strip extends along the web to pressthe ridges into sealing contact with the cooperating sealing surface inuse, whereupon the ridges maintain clearance between the web and thesealing surface. This arrangement minimises friction during slidingmovement but maintains a good seal.

Aspects of the invention relate to an appliance which is preferably acold-storage appliance but may be a cooking appliance or a washing ordrying appliance. The appliance includes at least one container and astructure defining a compartment from which the container can bewithdrawn to open the container for access to the interior of thecontainer and to which the container can be returned to close thecontainer, wherein the compartment includes first and second openingsthrough which the container can be withdrawn from the compartment inmutually transverse directions. Expressed another way, the inventionprovides an appliance including at least one container and a structuredefining a compartment from which the container can be withdrawn to openthe container for access to the interior of the container and to whichthe container can be returned to close the container, wherein thecompartment includes at least one opening through which the containercan be withdrawn by turning the container about a support such as apivot associated with the structure.

The container preferably closes the or each opening when the containeris within the compartment, and may be part-circular in plan, for examplea quadrant shape. The walls of the container suitably define radiicentred on a vertical pivot axis, which walls are preferably mutuallyperpendicular.

The pivot axis is advantageously vertical and is preferably adjacent theor each opening. Where there are first and second openings, the pivotaxis is suitably between the openings so that the container can pivotthrough either opening. For example, the compartment may be rectangularin plan with the pivot axis at or near a corner of the rectangle. In anyevent, the pivot axis is suitably within the compartment or on aboundary of the compartment.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, referencewill now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIGS. 1(a), 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d) are perspective views from underneathshowing a fixed lid and a movable drawer in four different positionsrelative to the lid;

FIG. 2 is a sectional perspective view through opposed seal parts of thelid and drawer shown in FIGS. 1(a), 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d);

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional end view of the seal parts shown in FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative seal arrangementwhose seal is mounted inboard with respect to the lid and the drawer andincorporates the option of a trace heater;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a further alternative sealarrangement whose seal is mounted outboard with respect to the lid andthe drawer, showing the seal profile of FIG. 4 but without a traceheater, supplemented by an insulating flange projecting downwardly fromthe lid inboard of the seal;

FIG. 6 is an inverted perspective view of the lid of FIG. 5 showing theseal mounted in an outboard position with respect to the insulatingflange that depends from the lid, and also showing bulbous corners thataccommodate the outboard location of the seal;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a cold-storage appliance in which drawers aremovable with respect to a supporting structure to be opened and closed,and can open in more than one direction with respect to that structure;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a kitchen cabinet from which a drawer can bepivoted about a vertical axis for opening;

FIG. 9 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 8 but showing how space notoccupied by the drawer may be exploited;

FIG. 10 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 9 and showing the extent ofmovement of the drawer during partial and full opening;

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are plan views that show different ways in whichcabinets of FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 above can be paired;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are plan views showing different ways in which threecabinets of FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 above can be arranged in an L-shapedarray;

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing how four cabinets of FIGS. 8, 9 and 10above can be arranged in a square array; and

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing how cabinets of FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 abovecan be used with another kitchen appliance exemplified by a hob orcooker.

Referring firstly to FIGS. 1(a), 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d) of the drawings, adrawer storage appliance such as a refrigerator comprises a closurebeing a fixed generally horizontal lid 1 and a container being anopen-topped drawer 2 that is movable horizontally with respect to thelid. In practice there will usually be more than one such combination oflid and drawer to make a multi-compartment appliance. The drawer 2 ismovable over a range of movement extending from being clear of the lid 1in a fully open position, as shown in FIG. 1(a), in which position theinterior of the drawer 2 can be freely accessed for the purpose ofloading and unloading, to being closed by the lid 1 in a fully closedposition, as shown in FIG. 1(d).

A skirt 3 depends from the lid 1 to support a first sealing loop 4 beinga continuous peripheral downwardly-facing lid seal. The skirt 3 and thelid seal 4 are shaped to correspond to and cooperate with a secondsealing loop 5 being a continuous upwardly-facing sealing surface aroundthe upper peripheral rim defined by generally vertical walls of thedrawer 2. The lid seal 4 is resiliently flexible and the sealing surface5 is relatively stiff such that deflection upon sealing contact betweenthe sealing loops is confined substantially to the lid seal 4.

It is of course possible to reverse the arrangement by having a lidslide relative to a fixed drawer and for an analogous seal arrangementto be used in that event.

It will be apparent that both the lid seal 4 and the sealing surface 5are continuous loops although those loops could have minor interruptionsor discontinuities without necessarily departing from the invention.Moreover, the lid seal 4 and the sealing surface 5 are generally planar,apart from minor chamfering as explained below, and their planes aresubstantially parallel, indeed practically coplanar, and substantiallyhorizontal. As the drawer 2 moves horizontally, the sealing surface 5remains in its plane as the drawer 2 moves in use. It follows that thesealing loops move past each other as the drawer 2 is being opened andclosed in use, with sliding contact.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the sealing loops defining both thelid seal 4 and the sealing surface 5 are generally rectangular, eachdefining two parallel straight sections transverse to (indeed orthogonalto) the direction of drawer movement and two parallel straight sectionssubstantially aligned with (indeed parallel to) the direction of drawermovement. Successive sections of the sealing loops are joined by curvedcorners. Having regard to the direction of drawer movement and theorientation of the drawer 2, the two parallel sections transverse to thedirection of drawer movement are referred to herein as a front sectionand a rear section and the two parallel sections substantially alignedwith the direction of drawer movement are referred to herein asrespective side sections. Consequently the lid seal 4 and the sealingsurface 5 each have a front section, a rear section and two sidesections, these sections of the lid seal mirroring their counterpartsections of the sealing surface.

When the drawer 2 is in the fully open position shown in FIG. 1(a),there is no alignment between any sections of the lid seal 4 and thesealing surface 5 and hence no significant magnetic attraction betweenthose sealing loops. Upon being partially closed as shown in FIG. 1(b),the rear section of the sealing surface 5 of the drawer aligns with thefront section of the lid seal 4. There is magnetic attraction betweenthe parts of the sealing loops that are aligned at these locations butthe upper rear edge of the drawer 2 is chamfered downwardly (not shown)to maintain clearance underneath the lid seal 4 and hence to avoidsnagging the lid seal 4 as the rear of the drawer passes the frontsection of the lid seal 4.

Further closing movement brings the drawer 2 to the intermediateposition shown in FIG. 1(c) where there is alignment between rearwardportions of the side sections of the sealing surface 5, andcorresponding forward portions of the side sections of the lid seal 4.However, there is no alignment involving the front and rear sections ofthe sealing surface 5 or of the lid seal 4. Consequently, there ismagnetic attraction involving increasing portions of the side sectionsas the drawer 2 is closed, but the front and rear sections of thesealing surface 5 and of the lid seal 4 contribute no magneticattraction until the drawer 2 is nearly fully closed as shown in FIG.1(d) and those sections come into mutual alignment as the sealing loopsalign fully with each other.

Whilst side sections of the lid seal 4 are in sliding contact with sidesections of the sealing surface 5 at the aligned locations, the area ofcontact is small and presents little hindrance to continued closingmovement of the drawer 2. It is to be noted in this respect thatmagnetic seals present substantially less resistance to sliding movementparallel to or within the plane of the seal interface surfaces than theydo to being pulled apart transversely or orthogonally to that plane.Tests indicate that the resistance to sliding is typically aboutone-third of the resistance to being pulled apart. It is also to benoted that the parts of the sealing loops that experience most of thesliding contact, namely the side sections, are best oriented to retaintheir structural stability under frictional forces which align with thedirection of drawer movement and hence with the direction in which theside sections extend. This is particularly useful in maintaining theintegrity of the flexible lid seal 4 in use.

Tests of the rectangular sealing loop arrangement shown in FIGS. 1(a) to1(d) suggest that upon drawer opening, the corners linking successivesections of the lid seal 4 are first to release. This helps, in effect,to peel the neighbouring sections of the lid seal 4 progressively awayfrom the sealing surface 5 of the drawer. This peeling action furtherreduces distress to the lid seal 4 and the effort of drawer opening butwithout prejudicing the sealing integrity of the seal when the drawer 2is closed.

In summary, then, the aggregate magnetic attraction between the sealingloops peaks when the sealing loops are fully aligned, as occurs when adrawer is fully closed with respect to a fixed lid or vice versa. Whenthe sealing loops are not fully aligned, which is the case throughoutsubstantially all of the range of movement of the drawer or lid otherthan when fully closed, the aggregate magnetic attraction between themdecreases markedly.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, these show the lid seal 4,the opposed sealing surface 5 and the surrounding lid and drawerstructures in detail.

The skirt 3 depending from the lid 1 is a U-section channel whose flatbottom surface carries a central elongate groove undercut to form anenlarged elongate recess of triangular section symmetrical about thecentral longitudinal plane of the groove. The lid 1 and its skirt 3 aresubstantially solid but of insulating material.

The opposed sealing surface 5 of the drawer 2 is a flat top surface of agenerally vertical wall 6 of the drawer 2, which wall is hollow andfilled with insulation 7. An oblong-section magnetic strip 8 extendscentrally along the top 9 of the wall, in the top of an invertedT-section groove on the under-surface of the top wall 9 within thehollow cross section, such that the strip 8 is concealed under the topsurface of the wall 9. An elongate anti-magnetic flux plate 10 of carbonsteel extends along the bottom of the inverted T-section groove, beneaththe magnetic strip 8, where it retains the strip 8 in the top of theT-section and is supported by the insulation 7 filling the hollowcross-section of the wall 6. The anti-magnetic flux plate 10 is providedwith surface protection to resist corrosion.

It will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3 that flanges 11 extend outwardly toboth sides of the wall of the drawer, but these flanges 11 are forsupport purposes not related to the present invention.

The lid seal 4 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a flexible resilient strip,suitably extruded or moulded, that is symmetrical about its centrallongitudinal plane. Looking from top down as illustrated, the sealcomprises an anchor portion 12 of arrowhead cross-section shaped to besnap-fitted into the undercut groove in the bottom face of the skirt 3.Beneath that, tapering flanges 13 extend laterally from the base of thearrowhead anchor portion 12 to bear resiliently against the bottom faceof the skirt 3 and so to hold the seal 4 stably against the skirt 3.Beneath the flanges 13, the strip is of hollow cross section andcomprises a narrow waist portion 14 extending inwardly below the flangesabove a flared base portion. The base portion has rounded lobes 15 thatcurve outwardly and downwardly from the waist portion 14 and theninwardly and slightly upwardly, towards each other, to support a centralgenerally flat web 16. Consequently, the web 16 is slightly above andbetween a pair of rounded sealing ridges defined by the lobes 15, whichridges together define the lowest level of the lid seal 4 and hence thesealing interface with the opposed sealing surface of the drawer 2.

The flat web 16 of the lid seal contains a channel running the length ofthe seal that holds a further magnetic strip 17 within the hollowcross-section of the seal 4. In use, this strip 17 is attracted to themagnetic strip 8 associated with the sealing surface of the drawer 2, topull the flexible lid seal 4 into sealing engagement with the sealingsurface 5. The purpose of the anti-magnetic flux plate 10 is to preventor reduce like-pole repulsion between the magnetic strips, hencereducing seal distortion and assisting seal alignment in use. Of course,it would also be possible for only one of the strips to be magnetic andfor the other to be of a material, particularly ferrous material, thatattracts or is attracted to the sole magnetic strip.

It will be apparent from the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 3that as the lobes 15 to either side of the central web 16 of the lidseal can hold that web clear of the sealing surface 5 of the lid,contact with the sealing surface 5 is restricted to two parallel linesof contact, one under each lobe 15 of the lid seal 4. Consequently,there is minimal frictional resistance to relative sliding movementbetween the lid seal 4 and the drawer 2. However, the efficacy ofsealing is maintained because the magnetic attraction is exerted over arelatively small surface contact area, hence increasing sealingpressure, and because there are, in effect, two seal areas rather thanone. Consequently, if one seal is compromised by, for example, dirtdeposits preventing a good seal, there is a good chance that the otherseal will remain unaffected by the same problem and hence will still beeffective.

The seal arrangement enabled by the invention has other advantages, insome cases unexpected. For example in conventional refrigeration,especially freezers, it is common practice to provide trace heating tothe magnetic seal surface to prevent condensation and icing. TheApplicant has tested its magnetic seal over the full range of storageand ambient conditions likely to be encountered in service. This testinghas been in the context of the appliances disclosed in the Applicant'searlier patent applications WO 01/020237, WO 02/073104, WO 02/073105 andWO 02/073107, in which much of the exterior of the drawers and hence theoutside of the drawer/lid interface may be exposed to air at or aboveambient temperature. No problems have been experienced with icing, whichwould normally manifest itself as sticking seals; instead, the Applicanthas found generally acceptable formation of condensation between thesurfaces of the seal which remains largely in liquid form as moisturerather than ice. Significantly, it has been found that this moistureassists the purposes of the invention by acting as a lubricant torelative sliding movement, and in that the wiping action betweenmoisture-bearing sliding surfaces helps to keep the seal surfaces clean.The invention therefore provides a self-lubricating and self-cleaningseal in which trace heating is not necessary.

Further, it has been explained above in relation to FIGS. 1(a) to 1(d)that the aggregate magnetic attraction between the lid seal 4 and thesealing surface 5 depends upon the degree of alignment of those sealingloops. In approximate terms, the aggregate force of attraction halvessoon after the drawer has been opened because the front and rearsections of the respective sealing loops come out of mutual alignment.The Applicant has realised, somewhat counter-intuitively, that thischaracteristic can be enabled and exploited by designing a magnetic sealto have resilience that biases the magnetic element of that seal awayfrom the opposing sealing surface. The seal may be further designed suchthat this resilience overcomes the weakened aggregate magneticattraction when the sealing loops as a whole are misaligned but isitself overcome by the stronger aggregate magnetic attraction when thesealing loops as a whole are aligned. In this way, the area of contactbetween the seal parts can be reduced or eliminated when the drawer isnot fully closed, especially where freedom of movement is requiredduring opening and closing, and conversely can be maximised when thedrawer is fully closed and hence sealing is required. In other words,with careful design, a seal can be arranged (i) to extend into fullsealing contact with an opposed sealing surface when the drawer is fullyclosed and (ii) to retract into lesser sliding contact, or possibly evenentirely out of contact, with the opposed sealing surface when thedrawer is at other positions, for example when being opened or closed.

Many variations are possible within the inventive concept. Somevariations will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

In FIG. 4, for example, an alternative seal arrangement employs adifferent lid seal profile to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. However,there are similarities between the profiles making it appropriate to usecommon reference numerals for like parts.

Again, the seal 18 shown in FIG. 4 is a flexible resilient strip,suitably extruded or moulded, and is largely (though not totally)symmetrical about its central longitudinal plane. Looking from top downas illustrated, the seal 18 comprises an anchor portion 12 of arrowheadcross-section as before but in this case the anchor portion 12 issnap-fitted into a channel-section frame member 19 that supports theseal 18 as a readily-replaceable rigid rectangular assembly. The framemember 19, in turn, fits into a groove 20 in the bottom face of theskirt 3 depending from the lid 1, thereby to fit the frame/seal assemblyto the lid 1.

Beneath the anchor portion 12, the seal 18 is of hollow cross sectionand comprises a waist portion 14, somewhat wider than that of FIGS. 2and 3, extending inwardly above a flared base portion. As before, thebase portion has rounded lobes 15 that curve outwardly and downwardlyfrom the waist portion 14 and then inwardly towards each other tosupport a central generally flat web 16. The web 16, in turn, covers amagnetic strip 17 concealed within an integral channel 21 such that whenthe drawer 2 is closed, the magnetic strip 17 attracts an opposedmagnetic strip 8 under the upper sealing surface 5 of the drawer 2.Although not apparent in FIG. 4, where the web 16 of the seal 18 isshown pulled downwardly by magnetic attraction when the drawer 2 isclosed, the lobes 15 may curve slightly upwardly as they curve inwardly,as in FIGS. 2 and 3. So when the drawer 2 is open and magneticattraction has been interrupted, the web 16 may be slightly above thelowest level of the lobes 15.

Internally, the profile of the seal 18 further includes a resilient web22 of sinuous cross-section extending between the anchor portion 12 andthe channel 21. The web 22 resists distortion of the seal 18 and helpsto stabilise the magnetic strip 17 within the channel 21.

A further internal feature of the seal 18 is a trace heater comprisingan insulated resistive wire 23 concealed within the profile beside thechannel 21, inside the lobe 15 to the outboard side of the seal 18. Inuse of the appliance, the wire 23 heats continuously at low voltage andlow power (typically 4 to 5 watts per linear metre of seal) todiscourage condensation on the exposed outside surface of the seal 18.

Condensation can be a problem where, as shown in FIG. 4, a seal 18 is anappreciable distance inboard from the outer edges of the lid 1 anddrawer 2. This location restricts ambient airflow to the outside of theseal 18, allowing a boundary air layer to form over the exposed sealsurface. The boundary layer may allow that surface to cool below dewpoint whereupon condensation forms and floods the seal mating area,where it freezes to ice and may jam the drawer shut.

Inboard seal location may, for example, follow from fitting arectangular frame/seal assembly to a lid 1 where the lid 1 and thedrawer 2 have plain curved corners in plan. Inboard location isnecessary in that event because otherwise the corners of the frame/sealassembly would overhang the curved corners of the lid 1 and drawer 2.

Trace heating of seals is well known in the cold-storage art but thistypically involves high-duty ‘mullion heaters’, operating at say 30 to40 watts per metre. Moreover, such heaters are typically built into thecabinet of a cold-storage appliance, for example by being embedded ininsulating foam around a door or lid opening, and so can never bereplaced. This is in contrast to the arrangement shown in FIG. 4 wheretrace heating is applied directly to the seal 18 and indeed directly tothe most vulnerable part of the seal 18, hence enabling low energyconsumption. Moreover, the trace heater in FIG. 4 is readily replaceableas a unit with the seal 18 and frame member 19, in a matter of minutes.

Moving on now to FIGS. 5 and 6, these drawings show an embodiment wherea seal 24 is located in an advantageous outboard position where it isbetter exposed to ambient air flow to keep its surface temperature abovedew point. Consequently, although the seal profile is the same as thatillustrated in FIG. 4, the trace heater wire 23 of FIG. 4 has beenomitted although it could be retained if needs be.

Whilst the seal 24 is deliberately exposed to ambient air flow in thisembodiment, it will be noted that a vapour barrier is formed at theoutermost edge of the seal profile to prevent moisture bypassing theseal 24 and so to discourage the formation of condensation or ice underor around the seal 24.

As the perspective view of the inverted lid 1 in FIG. 6 shows, therectangular seal 24 is accommodated in an outboard position by virtue ofbulbous curved corners 25 of the lid 1. A further alteration is evidentin FIG. 6 and particularly in the sectional view of FIG. 5, namely aninsulating flange or skirt 26 inboard of the seal 24. This helps toshield the seal 24 from low temperatures within the drawer 2. Theprinciple is based upon a temperature gradient from say −20 Celsiuswithin the drawer 2, immediately inboard of the flange or skirt 26,through to ambient temperature immediately outboard of the seal 24. Theposition, thickness and conductivity of the various rim interfaceelements arrayed across that temperature gradient will determine theoutward extent of a sub-zero region in which the temperature is belowzero Celsius and hence freezing is a risk. The design objective is toensure that the sub-zero region extends no further than the insulatingflange or skirt 26 so that the seal profile is always above freezing andso is immune to ice formation.

Many other variations are possible within the inventive concept. Forexample, the convenience of electrical elements such as resistance wireis preferred for trace heating but the trace heater could instead be aduct for hot fluid such as refrigerant flowing from an evaporator in theappliance.

The improved magnetic seal arrangements of the invention have manybenefits that have been outlined above. They also facilitate and enableother benefits, particularly in the configuration of storage apparatussuch as cold-storage appliances. For example, FIG. 7 of the drawingsshows a cold-storage appliance 27 in which drawers 28 are movable withrespect to a supporting structure to be opened and closed, and can openin more than one direction with respect to that structure. A similararrangement is also suggested in the Applicant's abovementioned priorpatent application published as WO 01/020237. In this way, workersstationed on both sides of the appliance 27 may access its contents, forexample workers at ‘back of house’ and ‘front of house’ in a restaurantwhere the appliance 27 divides a kitchen into a public area and aprivate area. It may also be that workers involved in food preparationstand on opposite sides of a worktop situated above or defined by thetop of the appliance 27. In such circumstances, workers standing on bothsides of the appliance 27 can access the drawer contents with equalconvenience.

In the appliance 27 shown in FIG. 7, two refrigerated drawers 28 aredisposed side-by-side in an under-counter or servery unit. The number ofdrawers is not important: there could be only one drawer or more thantwo drawers, disposed beside each other or stacked one above another.Fan coil units 29 supply cold air to the drawers via fixed lids (notshown) that seal to the drawers 28 when the drawers 28 are slid into thestructure of the appliance 27 upon closing. The fan coil units 29,traditionally rear-mounted, are positioned to the side of the drawers 28in this instance to allow the drawers 28 to slide open forwardly orrearwardly with respect to the structure. A common refrigerator engine30, also side-mounted, pumps refrigerant in a circuit that includesbranches for the fan coil units 29.

Whilst one fan coil unit 29 is shown for each drawer 28, it would alsobe possible (albeit less beneficial in terms of temperature control) tocool both drawers 28 with a single fan coil unit 29 or otherrefrigerator means. It would also be possible, but less advantageous interms of space utilisation, to mount the fan coil units 29 andrefrigerator engine 30 above or below the drawers 28.

FIGS. 8 to 10 show how the invention may be integrated in a novel mannerinto furniture such as a kitchen cabinet. Here, the typical square planoutline of a cabinet 31 contains a quadrant-shaped insulated drawer 32,the radii of the quadrant corresponding to perpendicular walls of thecabinet 31 but being a little shorter than the internal diameter of thecabinet 31, so as to give clearance for movement of the drawer 32 withrespect to the cabinet 31.

The radii converge to a pivot axis 33 at a corner of the cabinet 31whereby the drawer 32 can be swung around that vertical axis in and outof the cabinet 31 to close and open the drawer 32, as shown in dottedlines in FIG. 10. A lid (not shown) seals to the top of the drawer 32when the drawer 32 is closed fully within the cabinet 31.

It will be apparent from FIG. 8 that a substantial volume within thecabinet 31 (toward the upper right corner as illustrated) is redundantfor cold-storage as such, as it is not necessary to accommodate thepivoting drawer 32. However, in preferred embodiments of the invention,this space is used advantageously by siting ancillary equipment theresuch as fan coil and/or refrigerator engine units as shown in FIGS. 9and 10. In FIG. 9, for example, the upper right corner of the cabinet 31is cut away and an elongate fan coil unit 34 is inclined with respect tothe adjacent walls of the cabinet 31, in this instance at 45° to makeoptimum use of the available space outside the quadrant drawer 32. Whenthe cabinet 31 is built adjacent to a wall or against other cabinets,this cutaway arrangement leaves a further space outside the fan coilunit 34 which may be used for various purposes, for example for servicedistribution or for a refrigerator engine 35 serving one or morecold-storage drawers 32.

The cabinet 31 shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 is apt to be used with othersimilar cabinets in composite arrangements, some of which are shown inFIGS. 11 to 16. Upon reviewing FIGS. 11 to 16, it will be apparent thatidentical cabinets 31 can be oriented in different ways to achievedifferent objectives. This is a further benefit of the cabinet designshown in FIGS. 8 to 10.

Looking firstly at FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, these show various ways in whichcabinets 31 can be paired side-by-side. In FIG. 11, for example,cabinets 31 are placed in the same orientation. In FIG. 12, cabinets 31are oriented 90° apart with their cut-away corners facing away from oneanother. An interesting and potentially useful consequence is that thepaired cabinets 31 can share a common pivot axis 33 and so can be swungindependently as quadrants or together as a semi-circular whole. FIG.13, on the other hand, also shows cabinets 31 oriented 90° apart but inthis instance with their cut-away corners adjoining to define anenlarged space behind and between the cabinets 31. The enlarged space isapt to accommodate one or more fan coil units 34 and/or refrigeratorengine units 35 which may, if desired, be shared between the cabinets31.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show ways in which three cabinets 31 can be arranged inan L-shaped corner array. FIG. 14 shows an inside corner arrangement 36in which diagonally opposed end cabinets 31, oriented at 180° to eachother, adjoin a central cabinet 31 oriented at 90° to each of the endcabinets. In essence, the arrangement of FIG. 14 adds a third cabinet tothe two cabinets of FIG. 12, sharing the same pivot axis 33. So, allthree cabinets 31 share a central pivot axis 33 about which theirdrawers 32 can pivot either individually (subject to clearance fromadjacent drawers) or together.

FIG. 15 shows an outside corner arrangement 37 that adds a third cabinetto the two cabinets of FIG. 13, with the cut-away corner of theadditional cabinet 31 adjoining the cut-away corners of those twocabinets to create an even larger space for ancillary equipment such asfan coil units 34 or refrigerator engine units 35. Again, diagonallyopposed end cabinets 31, oriented 180° to each other, adjoin a centralcabinet 31 oriented at 90° to each of the end cabinets 31. However, allof the cabinets 31 of FIG. 15 are turned through 180° with respect tothe cabinets 31 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 shows how four cabinets 31 can be arranged in a square ‘island’format 38 with each cabinet 31 at 90° to its neighbours and with thecut-outs of the cabinets 31 adjoining to create a large square centralvoid 39. That void 39 is apt to be used for a sink, for a cooker, forwaste disposal or drainage, for ventilation or for other services. Itmay also receive a structural member such as a column (not shown) aroundwhich the island 38 may be assembled.

Finally, FIG. 17 shows cabinets 31 on both sides of another kitchenappliance, in this case exemplified by a hob or cooker 40. Whilst shownbuilt in to a continuous run of kitchen units, it will be apparent thatthe cabinets 31 of FIG. 17 could be open to the sides; in that case, thedrawer 32 can open to both the front and to the side as desired, byvirtue of the outboard positioning of the pivot axis 33 as shown.

1. A storage compartment comprising a container defining an accessaperture closable by a closure that can be sealed to the containeraround the aperture and that can be opened by relative movement betweenthe container and the closure in a lateral direction with respect to theaperture, the container having a first sealing loop around the apertureand the closure having a second sealing loop co-operable by alignmentwith the first sealing loop to maintain a seal when the closure closesthe aperture, wherein the sealing loops are moved into and out of mutualalignment by said relative movement between the container and theclosure and wherein at least one of the sealing loops includes magneticmeans for attracting the other of the sealing loops to maintain a sealwhen the sealing loops are mutually aligned.
 2. The compartment of claim1, wherein the relative movement between the container and the closurecauses sliding contact between the sealing loops.
 3. The compartment ofclaim 1, wherein the sealing loops are substantially planar.
 4. Thecompartment of claim 3, wherein a minor portion of a sealing loop is outof the plane of the remainder of the loop.
 5. The compartment of claim3, wherein the sealing loops move in substantially parallel planes. 6.The compartment of claim 3, wherein the sealing loops are substantiallycoplanar.
 7. The compartment of claim 1, wherein the sealing loopscomprise sections transverse to the direction of movement and sectionsaligned with the direction of movement.
 8. The compartment of claim 7,wherein the sections are substantially straight.
 9. The compartment ofclaim 8, wherein the sealing loops are generally rectangular and definefront and rear sections and two side sections connected successively bycorners.
 10. The compartment of claim 1, wherein the sealing loops arecontinuous.
 11. The compartment of claim 1, wherein both sealing loopsinclude magnetic means.
 12. The compartment of claim 1, wherein one ofthe sealing loops includes magnetic means and the other of the sealingloops includes material that can be attracted to the magnetic means. 13.The compartment of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sealing loopscomprises a resiliently flexible seal.
 14. The compartment of claim 13,wherein the seal is an elongate member defining generally parallelridges separated by a web wherein the ridges maintain clearance betweenthe web and a cooperating sealing surface in use.
 15. The compartment ofclaim 14, wherein a magnetic or magnetically attractive strip extendsalong the web to press the ridges into sealing contact with thecooperating sealing surface in use.
 16. The compartment of claim 13,wherein the resiliently flexible seal includes means for magneticattraction to the other sealing loop and biases said means away from theother sealing loop, said bias being overcome in use by increasingmagnetic attraction to effect a seal.
 17. The compartment of claim 16,wherein alignment of the sealing loops increases magnetic attraction toovercome the bias and effect a seal in use.
 18. The compartment of claim1 and including anti-magnetic flux means associated with the magneticmeans of a sealing loop.
 19. The compartment of claim 1, furthercomprising a trace heater associated with at least one of the sealingloops.
 20. The compartment of claim 19, wherein at least one of thesealing loops comprises a resiliently flexible seal and wherein thetrace heater applies heat directly to that seal.
 21. The compartment ofclaim 20, wherein the trace heater is within the seal.
 22. Thecompartment of claim 20, wherein the trace heater applies heat to anoutboard side of the seal.
 23. The compartment of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the sealing loops comprises a resiliently flexible seal andwherein the seal is mounted to a removable relatively rigid frame thatcan be fixed to the container or to the closure.
 24. The compartment ofclaim 1, further comprising an insulating barrier inboard of at leastone of the sealing loops.
 25. The compartment of claim 24, wherein theinsulating barrier is configured to maintain substantially all of theassociated sealing loop above zero Celsius when the container is usedfor frozen storage.
 26. The compartment of claim 1, wherein the sealingloops are rectangular and wherein the container or the closure aresubstantially rectangular and have rounded bulbous corners. 27.(canceled)